FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE
We believe that fundamental science and discovery is critical to the innovation and technology transfer chain.
We leverage our multidisciplinary experience in chemistry, materials science, chemical engineering, electrical engineering - to make and communicate fundamental advances in these fields.
01
2D Heterostructures
There are over 3000 individual 2D layered compounds. When you stack them together you get over 6 million heterostructures with different properties.
Funded by an ARC Discovery Project, we are using machine learning & experimental fabrication techniques to find out how these materials perform for piezoelectric and catalytic devices
Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
Dr Alexander Corletto
Key Outputs
"A bright future for engineering piezoelectric 2D crystals" - Chem. Soc. Rev.
"Active Learning in Bayesian Neural Networks for Bandgap Predictions of Novel Van der Waals Heterostructures" - Adv. Intell. Syst.
02
Piezocatalysis
We need new ways to convert materials into fuel. Couping piezoelectric polymers into catalytic particles can make this much more efficient.
Funded by the Elizabeth & Vernon Puzey Foundation, this project looks at how was can achieve this coupling to address:
- Salt Water Splitting
- Mine Process Water Remediation
- Ammonium Reduction
Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
03
Contact Electrification
Contacting and separating two polymer surfaces creates charge. However, how and why remains hotly debated in literature.
We take a systematic approach to understanding what factors affect the magnitude and direction of the charge, and how we can use this to our advantage.
Driven by an excellent collaboration with Dr Andris Sutka at Riga Technical Universtiy, we are solving these problems rapidly.
Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
Ms Jingyi Li
Key Outputs
"Probing Contact Electrification: A Cohesively Sticky Problem" - ACS App. Mat. Inter.
"Poly (dimethylsiloxane) for Triboelectricity: From Mechanisms to Practical Strategies" - Chem. Mater.
04
Catalyst Pencils
Depositing catalysts is tricky. It requires specific surfaces, substrates, temperatures, and materials.
2D crystals are lubricants, thanks to their interlayer van der Waal bonds. We're looking at assemling these 2D crystals into pencil like structures and writing catalysts on arbitary surfaces.
Funded by the CASS Foundation Medicine/Science Grant, this project will produce cheap, effective, and scaleable deposition methods for water splitting.
Key Researchers
Dr Peter Sherrell
